Summer of Pearls

by Mike Blakely

Ben Crowell remembers the Great Caddo Lake Pearl Rush of 1874 well. Ben would fall in love for the first time that summer during one of the last great rushes of the nineteenth century, a rush that could not have come at a better time for the riverboat community of Port Caddo.

Just a few months earlier the town had been dying. The railroads that were cutting across the country made the riverboat meaningless, and those same railroads didn't stop anywhere near Port Caddo. By the end of the summer, the pearl rush was over, and the mystery about who killed Judd Kelso, a local riverboat owner, had begun.

It took Ben forty years to solve the mystery, and when he did, the proof came for him alone to witness. He is the only living soul who knows what happened that September night in 1874.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 2000

Reviews

[Ashley Orf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why is 4.5 stars not an option! I loved the story so much, but it left me wanting so much more at the end? Where did Billy and Carol Anne go? What was their life? It wrapped up SO quickly and it was in the epilogue! Not even in the last chapter! Some chapters though were confusing, as to which POV they were being told in. I felt like it jumped around from Ben's POV to others, depending on whose story it was, but mostly it seemed like it was Ben. It gave such a great picture of what life was like then, a boy hitting maturity and seeing love, heartbreak, riches, loosing everything, murder and death of people he knew and cared about. Definitely would recommend, I finished it in 2 sittings!

[Melanie Vidrine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another book club selection that I may not have read otherwise. Ignore the cover shown here, it is not a bodice ripper! It is a very good coming of age story based on historic events in the Texas-Louisiana Caddo lake area. I really enjoyed it.

[Meriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jefferson TX historical fiction

[Darby Loescher · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF for me. There are more creative ways to show historic racism than slurs.

[Lisa Nelms · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in the dollar store and bought it because the author is from Marble Falls. I took it to the beach because it was the perfect size to read over the weekend. I knew nothing about it. I was so surprised! It was such a good read. I could hardly put it down. It had the right among of history, a murder mystery and a love story. It was well told by a true Texan. It reminded me of a Larry McMurtry novel. I will be looking for other books by this author. He is such a good storyteller!

[Caryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful tale of the deep bayou south after the civil war, without pandering to the obvious topic of Reconstruction. The characters are colorful and believable, and I would like to read more about the story of Carol Ann and Billy Treat. Where did they go when they left Caddo Lake?

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Friendships that will resume in the afterlife." "It was that summer that I learned life would not always be simple, or fun, or easy. Neither would it always be complicated, or painful, or hard."

Good book.

[Kai Ming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summer of Pearls was such a good find for me. I was not entering it expecting much but was soon blown away at how Mike Blakely writes and unravels the story. The book made me dream of being in the old days, simply just hunting for pearls.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ben Crowell, now in his eighties, reflects back on his youth and to the 1874 Pearl Rush in the tiny Texas town where he lived.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-done historical mystery.